For a lot of us, it’s part of our seasonal routine: When the holidays come, we send gifts to our favorite people and donations to our favorite nonprofits. We think the end of the year is the best time to give to charity. But the truth may make you rethink year-end giving: 1. Nonprofits need your donations before year-end, but […]
Thanks to you, the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota was able to grant nearly $17M to our community in the 2019 fiscal year. This is only possible with your support. We are so grateful to you. As we head into the holiday season and you consider your charitable giving for the end of this taxable year, please keep the following […]
With the adventures of summer behind us, the fall season calls us back to routine — back to our plans. It’s comforting to have a plan. A plan removes the stress and anxiety of the unknown. It gives us a roadmap, and by following it, we trust we’ll achieve our goals.
In our more than 25 years of ministering to Catholics and their philanthropy, we’ve come to learn that there’s one goal everyone shares: giving well. But planning for this goal can sometimes feel overwhelming. We often hear people say, “There is so much need. How can I be sure my philanthropy is making a difference?”
Patrick Murry, CPA, is a partner at Murry & Associates, LLC, where he specializes in assisting individuals and closely-held businesses with their tax planning, preparation, and compliance needs. He serves on the finance council at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata. Below, Patrick provides four tips you can use to maximize your charitable investment with a donor advised fund.
I’ve always appreciated the dual meaning of the word “talent.” In the Bible, a talent is a unit of monetary value. Today, it refers to our gifts and skills. Both meanings apply when it comes to giving. And, you can give either form of talent to benefit the common good.
But how you give your talents matters.
The U.S. federal tax code underwent massive changes in 2018. Because of these changes, many folks found they weren’t getting the refund amount they normally did. In some cases, people who typically received a refund actually owed the IRS.
One concern about these changes was that charitable giving would decrease. And it did, among folks who give less than $5,000 per year. They knew they weren’t going to see a tax benefit from their contributions due to the high standard deduction, so many withheld their giving.
The good news is that many people who give significant amounts each year continued giving — and even gave more than usual in order to get full tax benefits with the new standard deduction. This is what we call “bunching” — and it’s a strategy from which more taxpayers could benefit.
A considerable factor in the Catholic Community Foundation’s (CCF) ability to facilitate “smart philanthropy” is its board of directors. “All 25 members are inspired by their Catholic faith,” says CCF President Anne Cullen Miller, “and all bring an incredible breadth and depth of expertise and experience to help drive strategy.”
Catholic schools’ combination of quality education and faith formation brings value to students, parishes and the wider community, but financial and social barriers to Catholic education remain for some families, including a growing Latino population, experts noted at a June 25 forum on education sponsored by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota. The forum was held at Cretin-Derham Hall high school in St. Paul and drew 90 pastors, donors, school administrators, educators and community leaders. It was part of CCF’s ongoing “Giving Insights” series, which explores the impact of Catholic philanthropy on the community…
What do you want your family’s legacy to be? If you struggle to answer that question, consider this one: What do you want to pass on to your children when you yourself pass on? You might think of gifting your children an inheritance of money to provide financial support. Or perhaps, you picture an heirloom, an artifact that has been […]
You’ve likely seen recent reports of record highs in the stock market. When the market is strong, we see an increase in giving across the board. A 2018 report by Giving USA found that stock market values “are an indicator of financial and economic security,” and that “households and corporations are more likely to give when the stock market is up.”